'Your worst nightmares': Fireworms wash up on 2 Texas beaches
MUSTANG ISLAND, Texas (KXAN) — Beachgoers have something new to keep an eye out for before heading to the Texas coast this summer: fireworms.
"Your worst nightmares are washing up right now in the form of fireworms!" a Facebook post from the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies said.
Texas A&M researchers said a few of the worms, named for their searing sting, were found recently on Mustang Island and Padre Island off the Gulf Coast. The fireworms were found on logs with barnacles, which the predators may have been feeding on.
The worms are "rare to find unless you know where to look," researchers said in a comment.
Fireworms, also called bearded fireworms, are bright-colored marine bristle worms found in almost all parts of the ocean, according to the Ocean Conservancy.
They are covered in bristles that work as a defense mechanism and embed into the skin of whatever touches it. The bristles have toxins that create a burning sensation that lasts up to a few hours, according to the Ocean Conservancy.